Results of Midland-Penetanguishene Christmas Bird Count Dec. 17, 2022

KM
Ken MacDonald
Sat, Dec 31, 2022 9:41 AM

Here are the results of the Midland-Penetanguishene Christmas Bird Count
organised by the Midland-Penetanguishene Field Naturalists on Sat. Dec. 17,
2022.

This was the 123rd edition of the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count and
the 36th year that our club, the Midland-Penetanguishene Field Naturalists,
have organized the count locally. Our first count was in 1980. Our count
circle was a little different from the current one in the years from 1980
to 1984. There was a brief hiatus while things were reorganized. Then the
local count resumed in 1987, using the current circle centering on
Wyebridge, and it has been run every year since then, Covid be damned!
Congratulations to our Count Coordinator David Schandlen for organizing
another successful count. I think David has lost track of the number of
years he's been doing this, but it's been a long time!
Here's David's thoughts on the day:
123rd Audubon Christmas Bird Count - Newsletter
December 17, 2022
The Audubon Christmas Bird Count is the oldest and largest citizen science
program in the world. It provides valuable information on population
dynamics and trends for hundreds of North American bird species that are
frequently encountered on count day.
On Saturday, December 17, 2022 the count was held in our area. The Midland
Penetanguishene Field Naturalist Club organizes the count with 42
volunteers divided up into 17 areas.
These areas, which are consistent from year to year world wide, are in a
circle with a 15 mile radius. Wyebridge is the centre of our count circle.
This area encompasses the Wye Marsh and Tiny Marsh.
This day was overcast in the morning with the sun breaking out just before
lunch and continuing throughout the afternoon. Temperature was between -2C
and +2C. The wind was light to moderate with Georgian Bay open although
several of the smaller bays (Midland Bay, Penetanguishene Bay, Tiffin Bay,
Hogg Bay, Sturgeon Bay) were ice-covered.
The day was successful with 58 different species seen with a total count of
6,771 individual birds.
You can view our count and the total count results from 1900 to the present
at the Audubon website:
http://netapp.audubon.org/.../Current.../ResultsByCount.aspx
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fnetapp.audubon.org%2FCBCObservation%2FCurrentYear%2FResultsByCount.aspx%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0zudrXMqqkgrp--cG3HGStqRY1WQkC6EC5r7XFokcBbPN2Pu1BLBev12Q&h=AT0k3xbfn-YDw6wllbJN9gZkPVDSdERYEv2xNhNj-9fU22QMnweD3ygYo8ZA7rHcBTXcw5hFGxGJlpEjyqnMUyWrhyBuxykp0A78Np7afm8RI4x8Ibm-mtcUWKMpOv0VPRsaNI5KnS8S_F2_sq_W&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT1gKtXLXM4fKmbdklcIn2UqPuejCZ3OTb1HBO1sWV-2iiRiVSnwxuHn_jtSOMGpOlz-eJkSlDsmupfK3vjOK6hT63GrE3P9DApwS9hXKFnBLoVNbiJu2kEMy3b9g7aQiLow9h2N0OeqoLRGnvnJxs8gzru77eXK0PaG5DC850K4CUXH_7pb2F1lhX1xKsvNUaYoHd0ZocEw08nrBB0_l4huyyEBz3YsMdTs_0s
Count code ONWM
We were able to have our wrap up catered dinner this year and raised $445
for the McKeever Owl Foundation.
Thanks again to all who took part. Mark your calendars for next year
Saturday December 16, 2023.
Dave Schandlen
Midland Penetanguishene Field Naturalist Club
We set 8 species record high counts:
Trumpeter Swan 153; old record 120, 2021
Mourning Dove 505; old record 442, 2002
Bald Eagle 9; old record 6, 2016
Downy Woodpecker 77; old record 49, 2018
White-breasted Nuthatch 94; old record 66, 2020
American Goldfinch 431; old record 299, 2015
Dark-eyed Junco 304; old record 271, 2016
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 1063; old record 679, 2021
And we tied some other record highs:
1 Mute Swan; tied with 1996, 1997
3 Double-crested Cormorants; tied with 2006
3 Cooper's Hawks; tied with 2005, 2017, 2019
1 Northern Flicker; tied with 2021
2 Red-winged Blackbirds; tied with 2004
We had a new record high of individual birds 6771; the old record being
6740 in 2006
As far as species count goes we had 58 species and 1 spuh (birds that are
only identifiable to the genus level; "gull sp.") This constitutes a tie
with 2012 and 2021. In both those years we had 58 species and 3 spuhs.
Currently we sit at 111 species all time for our count with 1 "spuh" (a
bird that couldn't be identified to species level; an unidentified "tern
species") and 2 species that were only encountered as count week birds, not
on the actual day of a count (Virginia Rail and Common Gallinule). No new
species were added in this year's count.
Congratulations one and all on a great count. I'm sure the birds appreciate
it. And the $445 raised by our Holly and Mistletoe Mystery Gift Auction was
very much appreciated by the Owl Foundation of Vineland.
Here is the full list of this year's count:
*1. Canada Goose 234 *

*2. Mute Swan 1 *
*3. Trumpeter Swan 153 (Record high; old record 120, 2021) *
*4. Mallard 264 *
*5. American Black Duck 15 *
*6. Greater Scaup 2 *
*7. Bufflehead 1 *
*8. Common Goldeneye 404 *
*9. Hooded Merganser 4 *
*10. Common Merganser 55 *
*11. Red-breasted Merganser 43 *
*12. Wild Turkey 146 *
*13. Ruffed Grouse 3 *
*14. Rock Pigeon 1063 (Record high; old record 679, 2021) *
*15. Mourning Dove 505 (Record high; old record 442, 2002) *
*16. Ring-billed Gull 38 *
*17. Herring Gull 14 *
*18. gull sp. 27 *

*19. Double-crested Cormorant 3 (tied with 2006) *
*20. Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 *
*21. Cooper's Hawk 3 (tied with 2005, 2017, 2019) *
*22. Bald Eagle 9 (Record high; old record 6, 2016) *
*23. Red-tailed Hawk 11 *
*24. Rough-legged Hawk 4 *
*25. Snowy Owl 1 *
*26. Barred Owl 1 *
*27. Red-headed Woodpecker 1 *
*28. Red-bellied Woodpecker 9 *
*29. Downy Woodpecker 77 (Record high; old record 49, 2018) *
*30. Hairy Woodpecker 36 *
*31. Pileated Woodpecker 13 *
*32. Northern Flicker 1 (tied with 2021) *
*33. American Kestrel 1 *
*34. Northern Shrike 1 *
*35. Blue Jay 173 *
*36. American Crow 159 *
*37. Common Raven 13 *
*38. Black-capped Chickadee 704 *
*39. Red-breasted Nuthatch 22 *
*40. White-breasted Nuthatch 94 (Rec. high; old record 66, 2020) *
*41. Brown Creeper 1 *
*43. American Robin 1 *
*44. Bohemian Waxwing 285 *
*45. Cedar Waxwing 1 *
*46. House Sparrow 98 *
*47. Evening Grosbeak 158 *
*48. Pine Grosbeak 18 *
*49. House Finch 16 *
*50. Purple Finch 3 *
*51. Pine Siskin 20 *
*52. American Goldfinch 431 (Rec. high; old record 299, 2015) *
*53. Snow Bunting 430 *
*54. American Tree Sparrow 15 *
*55. Dark-eyed Junco 304 (Rec. high; old record 271, 2016) *
*56. White-crowned Sparrow 1 *
*57. Song Sparrow 1 *
*58. Red-winged Blackbird 2 (Tied with 2004) *
*59. Northern Cardinal 36 *

Ken MacDonald
*Program Coordinator/MPFN *

Here are the results of the Midland-Penetanguishene Christmas Bird Count organised by the Midland-Penetanguishene Field Naturalists on Sat. Dec. 17, 2022. This was the 123rd edition of the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count and the 36th year that our club, the Midland-Penetanguishene Field Naturalists, have organized the count locally. Our first count was in 1980. Our count circle was a little different from the current one in the years from 1980 to 1984. There was a brief hiatus while things were reorganized. Then the local count resumed in 1987, using the current circle centering on Wyebridge, and it has been run every year since then, Covid be damned! Congratulations to our Count Coordinator David Schandlen for organizing another successful count. I think David has lost track of the number of years he's been doing this, but it's been a long time! Here's David's thoughts on the day: 123rd Audubon Christmas Bird Count - Newsletter December 17, 2022 The Audubon Christmas Bird Count is the oldest and largest citizen science program in the world. It provides valuable information on population dynamics and trends for hundreds of North American bird species that are frequently encountered on count day. On Saturday, December 17, 2022 the count was held in our area. The Midland Penetanguishene Field Naturalist Club organizes the count with 42 volunteers divided up into 17 areas. These areas, which are consistent from year to year world wide, are in a circle with a 15 mile radius. Wyebridge is the centre of our count circle. This area encompasses the Wye Marsh and Tiny Marsh. This day was overcast in the morning with the sun breaking out just before lunch and continuing throughout the afternoon. Temperature was between -2C and +2C. The wind was light to moderate with Georgian Bay open although several of the smaller bays (Midland Bay, Penetanguishene Bay, Tiffin Bay, Hogg Bay, Sturgeon Bay) were ice-covered. The day was successful with 58 different species seen with a total count of 6,771 individual birds. You can view our count and the total count results from 1900 to the present at the Audubon website: http://netapp.audubon.org/.../Current.../ResultsByCount.aspx <https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fnetapp.audubon.org%2FCBCObservation%2FCurrentYear%2FResultsByCount.aspx%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0zudrXMqqkgrp--cG3HGStqRY1WQkC6EC5r7XFokcBbPN2Pu1BLBev12Q&h=AT0k3xbfn-YDw6wllbJN9gZkPVDSdERYEv2xNhNj-9fU22QMnweD3ygYo8ZA7rHcBTXcw5hFGxGJlpEjyqnMUyWrhyBuxykp0A78Np7afm8RI4x8Ibm-mtcUWKMpOv0VPRsaNI5KnS8S_F2_sq_W&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT1gKtXLXM4fKmbdklcIn2UqPuejCZ3OTb1HBO1sWV-2iiRiVSnwxuHn_jtSOMGpOlz-eJkSlDsmupfK3vjOK6hT63GrE3P9DApwS9hXKFnBLoVNbiJu2kEMy3b9g7aQiLow9h2N0OeqoLRGnvnJxs8gzru77eXK0PaG5DC850K4CUXH_7pb2F1lhX1xKsvNUaYoHd0ZocEw08nrBB0_l4huyyEBz3YsMdTs_0s> Count code ONWM We were able to have our wrap up catered dinner this year and raised $445 for the McKeever Owl Foundation. Thanks again to all who took part. Mark your calendars for next year Saturday December 16, 2023. Dave Schandlen Midland Penetanguishene Field Naturalist Club We set 8 species record high counts: Trumpeter Swan 153; old record 120, 2021 Mourning Dove 505; old record 442, 2002 Bald Eagle 9; old record 6, 2016 Downy Woodpecker 77; old record 49, 2018 White-breasted Nuthatch 94; old record 66, 2020 American Goldfinch 431; old record 299, 2015 Dark-eyed Junco 304; old record 271, 2016 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 1063; old record 679, 2021 And we tied some other record highs: 1 Mute Swan; tied with 1996, 1997 3 Double-crested Cormorants; tied with 2006 3 Cooper's Hawks; tied with 2005, 2017, 2019 1 Northern Flicker; tied with 2021 2 Red-winged Blackbirds; tied with 2004 We had a new record high of individual birds 6771; the old record being 6740 in 2006 As far as species count goes we had 58 species and 1 spuh (birds that are only identifiable to the genus level; "gull sp.") This constitutes a tie with 2012 and 2021. In both those years we had 58 species and 3 spuhs. Currently we sit at 111 species all time for our count with 1 "spuh" (a bird that couldn't be identified to species level; an unidentified "tern species") and 2 species that were only encountered as count week birds, not on the actual day of a count (Virginia Rail and Common Gallinule). No new species were added in this year's count. Congratulations one and all on a great count. I'm sure the birds appreciate it. And the $445 raised by our Holly and Mistletoe Mystery Gift Auction was very much appreciated by the Owl Foundation of Vineland. Here is the full list of this year's count: *1. Canada Goose 234 * *2. Mute Swan 1 * *3. Trumpeter Swan 153 (Record high; old record 120, 2021) * *4. Mallard 264 * *5. American Black Duck 15 * *6. Greater Scaup 2 * *7. Bufflehead 1 * *8. Common Goldeneye 404 * *9. Hooded Merganser 4 * *10. Common Merganser 55 * *11. Red-breasted Merganser 43 * *12. Wild Turkey 146 * *13. Ruffed Grouse 3 * *14. Rock Pigeon 1063 (Record high; old record 679, 2021) * *15. Mourning Dove 505 (Record high; old record 442, 2002) * *16. Ring-billed Gull 38 * *17. Herring Gull 14 * *18. gull sp. 27 * *19. Double-crested Cormorant 3 (tied with 2006) * *20. Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 * *21. Cooper's Hawk 3 (tied with 2005, 2017, 2019) * *22. Bald Eagle 9 (Record high; old record 6, 2016) * *23. Red-tailed Hawk 11 * *24. Rough-legged Hawk 4 * *25. Snowy Owl 1 * *26. Barred Owl 1 * *27. Red-headed Woodpecker 1 * *28. Red-bellied Woodpecker 9 * *29. Downy Woodpecker 77 (Record high; old record 49, 2018) * *30. Hairy Woodpecker 36 * *31. Pileated Woodpecker 13 * *32. Northern Flicker 1 (tied with 2021) * *33. American Kestrel 1 * *34. Northern Shrike 1 * *35. Blue Jay 173 * *36. American Crow 159 * *37. Common Raven 13 * *38. Black-capped Chickadee 704 * *39. Red-breasted Nuthatch 22 * *40. White-breasted Nuthatch 94 (Rec. high; old record 66, 2020) * *41. Brown Creeper 1 * *43. American Robin 1 * *44. Bohemian Waxwing 285 * *45. Cedar Waxwing 1 * *46. House Sparrow 98 * *47. Evening Grosbeak 158 * *48. Pine Grosbeak 18 * *49. House Finch 16 * *50. Purple Finch 3 * *51. Pine Siskin 20 * *52. American Goldfinch 431 (Rec. high; old record 299, 2015) * *53. Snow Bunting 430 * *54. American Tree Sparrow 15 * *55. Dark-eyed Junco 304 (Rec. high; old record 271, 2016) * *56. White-crowned Sparrow 1 * *57. Song Sparrow 1 * *58. Red-winged Blackbird 2 (Tied with 2004) * *59. Northern Cardinal 36 * *Ken MacDonald* *Program Coordinator/MPFN *